International Student Visas & Immigration

Visa Information

South West College holds a Tier 4 Sponsor Licence from UK Visa and Immigration Service

South West College can accept students currently living outside of the EU/EEA to study here Full Time under the Tier 4 Visa of the points-based system

South West College can accept students coming to study short courses for up to 6 months (or 11 months for English Language Courses)

How do I apply for a Visa?

Tier 4 (General) Visas

If you wish to come to the UK to study a course which is longer than six months you will need to apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa. You will need to meet the requirements of the immigration rules and apply in the country of which you are a national or where you reside permanently. You will need to create an account at www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk to submit your application online, and you'll also need to attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to submit your documents and biometric data.

How long will it take?

The time it takes to get your visa will depend on the visa application centre you apply to. You can view visa processing times for your local visa application centre on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

​Short-term Study Visas

You will need to meet the requirements of the immigration rules, but (unlike Tier 4 applications) you can apply for entry clearance as a short-term student from any country outside of the UK. You will need to create an account at www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk in order to submit your application online, and will also need to attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to submit your documents and biometric data.

When can I come to the UK?

If your Tier 4 immigration permission is for a course of six months or more (undergraduate), or for a pre-sessional English language course of less than six months, your permission to enter the UK (entry clearance) will start one month before the course.

If your Tier 4 immigration permission is for a course of less than six months, which is not a pre-sessional English language course, your permission to enter the UK (entry clearance) will start seven days before the course.

The start date of the course for Tier 4 purposes will be the same as that stated in the CAS email you receive from South West College.